Who is 'The Lazy King'? Viral sensation Abdoul Abdouraguimov could be PFL's next breakout star

Abdoul Abdouraguimov, more popularly known as “The Lazy King,” had just finished his first faceoff with Saturday’s PFL Europe main event dance partner, Laureno Starpoli, when he sat down to share his thoughts.

“It was simple, efficient and smooth,” Abdouraguimov told Uncrowned, in his own quirky manner.

“I felt a calm energy … the calm before the storm, as they say.”

This time last summer, the Dagestan-born French fan favorite appeared to be on the verge of signing with the UFC.

His signature submission style had long wowed the masses across Europe and beyond, allowing him to secure welterweight titles with Brave CF and claim both welterweight and middleweight titles with Ares FC.

So bright was his star that ranked UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley — who headlines Saturday's UFC Tampa event with a chance to shoot into title contention — found himself hurtling within the Abdouraguimov orbit overnight when he issued a 2023 callout to all welterweights. Buckley offered $25,000 to anyone who could knock him out — and in poured the requests to summon Abdouraguimov.

Buckley eventually acquiesced to the viral popularity of "The Lazy King” for a potential UFC Paris showdown, but the event came and went without Abdouraguimov ever putting pen to paper.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,” Abdouraguimov said.

“I was disappointed, not in the way that they didn’t take me, but because there was a lot of promises from my [former] manager. He would tell me, ‘It’s OK, next fight you’re going to be in the UFC,’ but since I don’t know when, that was always the situation: 'You’re going to get signed after the next fight.'

“At the end of the day, I’ve got a good contract with PFL and you never know what could happen in the future.”

Abdouraguimov has since emerged as one of PFL Europe's marquee signings, a fact that was evident when "The Lazy King" made his sophomore outing against Jack Grant in Paris this past March.

He would’ve gotten the loudest pop in a packed Accor Arena that night had superstar Cedric Doumbé not commanded the top of the card. However, when Doumbé's main event meeting with Baysangur Chamsoudinov ended prematurely due to his verbal protests to referee Marc Goddard, those in attendance were thankful for Abdouraguimov's back and forth with U.K. standout Grant.

On Saturday in Lyon, France, “The Lazy King” now owns his own top billing when he meets Starpoli in a PFL Europe showcase bout.

Having become accustomed to the adoration of his supporters from his adopted home, Abdouraguimov is now tasked with following in the footsteps of PFL's latest homegrown star, Dakota Ditcheva, in using PFL Europe success as a springboard into international stardom for the organization's more global brand.

“They love the 'Lazy' show," Abdouraguimov explained of his unique appeal and nickname, which refers to his effortless and efficient fighting style. "Even when I’m watching fights and I see someone do something outside the box, I think, ‘Wow, what’s he doing? This is interesting.' People like that, but I don’t want to be affected by [the love]. A strong mind is one that isn’t affected if you tell it something positive or negative. If you’re only happy when people say good things, and you’re sad because someone said something negative about you, I believe that means you’re weak.

“I can only control the inner world for me, I can’t control what people think of me or what they will say about the event, so I just concentrate on myself. Of course, I like it, but I don’t want it to affect me.”

When Ireland’s Paul Hughes signed with the PFL, he made it clear his intentions were to fight in the 2025 tournament. Yet, after his underdog victory over A.J. McKee, he’s been propelled into a lightweight title fight in Dubai next year against Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

While many believe “The Lazy King” is bound to fight in the welterweight tournament next year, it seems as if he’s looking to follow a similar path as the Irish lightweight.

“I want to go for the belt, but right now, it’s a little bit complicated with PFL because there are so many belts — MENA, Europe and Global, and then there is the Championship Series," he said. "I don’t want to go to the tournament, I want to fight for the championship belt. Like the event that will happen in Dubai [on Jan. 25], I want to take the belt there.

“The global tournament starts just after Ramadan. That complicates things for me. Everyone has this choice to fight, but for me, I choose to do a good Ramadan and then I’ll be ready to go after for a fight.”

Abdouraguimov seems completely unfazed by Starpoli, the second UFC veteran he'll look to add to his growing portfolio.

Instead of giving a prediction, he leans on the philosophies of a martial arts great.

“It’s like a game, but played seriously — that’s from a Bruce Lee movie," Abdouraguimov recited. "He said, ‘Play, but play seriously.’ That’s what I’m looking for and I understand what it means. When I do it in the gym, it works very well, so now I’ve just got to do that in a real fight.”